A educação como instrumento de mobilidade social: uma análise do papel da escola pública na formação de jovens do Ensino Médio em Aldeias Altas e Matões-MA

Abstract

This research analyzes public education as a tool for social mobility, exploring the role of public schools in shaping high school students, while also highlighting the problems that prevent its full potential in a society full of socioeconomic inequalities. The study starts from the understanding that education is a fundamental social right and an important mechanism for expanding opportunities, thus creating a space for social advancement. The theoretical foundation is based on the contributions of Bourdieu (2014), Saviani (2013), Freire (1996), Dayrell (2007), Antunes (2009), and others who discuss the relationships between education, social inequality, youth, and social mobility. The research uses a mixed-methods approach, with a descriptive and exploratory character, utilizing online questionnaires applied to high school students, those who have already completed this stage, as well as professionals in public education. The research shows that public schools play an important role in helping young people plan their lives, get into college, and expand their career prospects. That said, there are still challenges like poor school infrastructure, digital exclusion, students dropping out, and socioeconomic inequalities that limit access and staying in school, which keeps education from reaching its full transformative potential. In the end, the study concludes that even though public schools exist in a system that often reproduces inequalities, they remain key places for promoting citizenship, social empowerment, and social mobility for youth and their families from working-class backgrounds.